What was your childhood like? Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Washington D.C. and lived in Nairobi, Kenya for 2.5 years. We traveled a great deal because my father is French so we spent every other summer with my cousins in the South of France and Corsica. I was very lucky!
What inspired you to start writing stories as soon as you were old enough to pick up pencil and paper?
I was a bookworm and was constantly reading as a child. I don't remember a particular incident, but I started writing stories when I was about 7 years old. I wrote several stories about animals.
How do you think graduating from the University of Virginia with a BA in English Literature has been conducive to your career as an author?
The University of Virginia has an excellent English Lit program so I spent college reading all the great works of literature and analyzing and writing about them. My major was conducive to really studying what I loved about stories and what I didn't.
What are some of the challenges you've experienced as an author?
Marketing! I think one of the challenges that can occur is comparing your journey to others. I've got several author friends and some skyrocketed to success with their debut novels and others are following a slower path.
How did you get into yoga? How do you build relationships with your students?
I started practicing yoga back in 1999 and loved it. When I love something, I need to share it so I began teaching. I like to make a personal connection with each student and build that relationship over time. I've got several students from over the years who find me when I move to a different studio. I also lead international yoga retreats and often my regular students are the first to sign up.
How did you come up with the plot for 'At Last in Laguna'? Who is your favorite character in this book?
I love both Brandt and Alyssa. This story is my personal favorite. Both Brandt and Alyssa appear perfect on the surface, but they just wear strong armor. Both have had devastating personal losses in their respective childhoods and learned to put on a brave face. Brandt is Alyssa's big brother's best friend and so he's off limits...
You wrote 3 books in the Finding Forever in Laguna series. What is something you have learned through this series?
Readers seem to love meeting characters and then following up when they get their own story. I love developing the friendships between all the characters, in addition to the separate romance in each book.
How much did you research to create the lovely descriptions of ocean front places in "Second Chance in Laguna"? Have you yourself been on the beach in California?
I live in San Diego, California. I got engaged in Laguna Beach and found it to be the most romantic placae on earth. I sat out at a small cafe and wrote a great deal of the setting portions for the books.
What sparked the idea for "Sunset in Laguna"? What was the hardest scene to write in this book?
Christian Wolfe is strong stoic vet with PTSD and I wanted him to find his HEA. Writing a few of his nightmare scenes were challenging because I was trying to convey the intense mental and emotional pain he endured.
What is your greatest weakness? What are you doing to improve it?
Taking on too many things at once. I'm working on being better about saying No!
What makes the romance genre special to you? Do you remember the first romance novel you read?
I believe romance is the genre of hope. I believe that love is what matters most at the end of the day. I pilfered my mom's book, Sweet Savage Love by Rosemary Rogers when I was 9. Let's just say I didn't understand half of it, but I loved the beautiful heroine and tortured hero!
Who inspired the character Christian Wolfe? What challenges do face while creating characters from opposite sex?
I've met a lot of people with PTSD from the war. I've learned how yoga can help vets and also how service dogs can really help people with PTSD cope with their unique challenges. What's funny is sometimes I feel like I write guys better! I grew up without a mom and have 4 older brothers, so I can be kind of a guy too.
When did you get your cat, Lola? Is there anything the pet is scared of or reacts to?
We adopted Lola back in 2011. She freaks out if she hears a doorbell, even if it on television. She's a hilarious little cat with about 20 different types of meows.
Are you working on anything at the present you would like to share with your readers about?
I've got a new series coming out this year! The Pacific Vista Ranch series is set on an exclusive ranch in Rancho Santa Fe, California––think Bel Air meets the Hamptons, but everyone has horses. I'm really excited for Nobody Else But You, which should be releasing end of August. Nobody Else But You won the Contemporary division of the LERA contest and is a Finalist for Best Contemporary Romance in the RWA Stiletto Contest. It’s a story about a fiery horse breeding manager who is determined to protect her family and their ranch from another Hollywood tragedy. She could lose everything, including her heart to a sexy stuntman. The next two books, featuring the other two sisters, will come out a month apart.
What were some of the challenges you faced on the road to publication? How has been you experience working with AllAuthor?
Learning to take all the rejection in the querying process in stride. It's tough! AllAuthor has been great so far. Thank you!
